Pectin in controlled drug delivery – a review

Controlled drug delivery remains a research focus for public health to enhance patient compliance, drug efficiency and reduce the side effects of drugs. Pectin, an edible plant polysaccharide, has been shown to be useful for the construction of drug delivery systems for specific drug delivery. Several pectin derived formulations have been developed in our laboratory and tested in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo for the ability to deliver bioactive substances for therapeutic purposes in the context of interactions with living tissues. Pectin derivatives carrying primary amine groups were more mucoadhesive and have shown potential in nasal drug delivery and other mucosal drug delivery. Pectin derivatives with highly esterified galacturonic acid residues are more hydrophobic and able to sustain the release of incorporated fragrances for a prolonged duration. Less esterified pectin derivatives are able to penetrate deeper into the skin and may be useful in aromatherapy formulations. Pectin, in combination with zein, a corn protein, forms hydrogel beads. The bound zein restricts bead swelling and retains the porosity of the beads; the pectin networks shield the zein from protease attack. The complex beads are ideal vehicles for colon-specific drug delivery. Studies presented in this paper indicate the flexibility and possibility to tailor pectin macromolecules into a variety of drug delivery systems to meet different clinical requirements. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the US Department of Agriculture.     

A conformational analysis method for understanding the energy landscapes of clusters.

A newly developed unbiased structural optimization method, named dynamic lattice searching (DLS), is proposed as an approach for conformational analysis of atomic/molecular clusters and used in understanding the energy landscape of large clusters. The structures of clusters are described in terms of the number of basic tetrahedron (BT) units they contain. We found that the hit numbers of different structural motifs in DLS runs is proportional to the number of BTs. A parameter T(max) is defined to limit the maximal number of atoms moved in a structural transition. Results show that T(max) is a key parameter for modulating the efficiency of the DLS method and has a great influence on the hit number of different motifs in DLS runs. Finally, the effect of potential range on the conformational distribution of the (Morse)(98) cluster is also discussed with different potential-range parameters.     

Mapping of possible prion protein self-interaction domains using peptide arrays

Background  

The common event in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases is the conversion of host-encoded protease sensitive cellular prion protein (PrP^C) into strain dependent isoforms of scrapie associated protease resistant isoform (PrP^Sc) of prion protein (PrP). These processes are determined by similarities as well as strain dependent variations in the PrP structure. Selective self-interaction between PrP molecules is the most probable basis for initiation of these processes, potentially influenced by chaperone molecules, however the mechanisms behind these processes are far from understood. We previously determined that polymorphisms do not affect initial PrP^C to PrP^Sc binding but rather modulate a subsequent step in the conversion process. Determining possible sites of self-interaction could elucidate which amino acid(s) or amino acid sequences contribute to binding and further conversion into other isoforms. To this end, ovine – and bovine PrP peptide-arrays consisting of 15-mer overlapping peptides were probed with recombinant sheep PrP^C fused to maltose binding protein (MBP-PrP).     

Hydrogen peroxide-generating nanomedicine for enhanced chemodynamic therapy

Chemodynamic therapy(CDT) is an emerging endogenous stimulation activated tumor treatment approach that exploiting iron-containing nanomedicine as catalyst to convert hydrogen peroxide(H_2O_2)into toxic hydroxyl radical(·OH) through Fenton reaction.Due to the unique characteristics(weak acidity and the high H_2O_2 level) of the tumor microenvironment,CDT has advantages of high selectivity and low side effect.However,as an important substrate of Fenton reaction,the endogenous H_2O_2 in tumor is still insufficient,which may be an important factor limiting the efficacy of CDT.In order to optimize CDT,various H_2O_2-generating nanomedicines that can promote the production of H_2O_2 in tumor have been designed and developed for enhanced CDT.In this review,we summarize recently developed nanomedicines based on catalytic enzymes,nanozymes,drugs,metal peroxides and bacteria.Finally,the challenges and possible development directions for further enhancing CDT are prospected.     

Synthesis and characterization of Mn-, La-Mn- and La-Ca-Mn-citrates as precursors for LaMnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> and La<Subscript>1−x</Subscript>Ca<Subscript>x</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

Mn-, LaMn- and LaCaMn-citrates were synthesized at 60–120°C in ethylene glycol medium using chlorides or nitrates as metal sources. Their composition, IR spectra and thermal decomposition were studied. Equimolar La/Mn ratio has been established in the complex, prepared from chloride solution with the same initial composition of the metals. In the isolated three-metallic complex the molar ratio of the metals deviates from the composition in the initial solution. The final products of the heating of Mn- and mixed-metal LaMn-citrates at 1000°C are phase-homogeneous Mn₃O₄ (hausmannite) and LaMnO₃ respectively. Parasitic phase(s) are observed in La_xCa_1−xMn_yO₃, produced from LaCaMn-citrate.     

A new dimension in thermal analysis

Summary An enormous development has taken place within the last five years in synchronous teaching over the Internet, i.e. both the teacher and the students are simultaneously in direct communication with each other as in a normal class-room or auditorium. With this concept it is possible to communicate orally, to exchange Power Point Presentations, documents, programmes and live web-camera pictures. It is even possible to use an electronic black board on which both the teacher and the students can work simultaneously. The great advantage with this type of teaching is that it is not restricted to a single class-room/auditorium with limited access, but in a virtual room accessible to everybody in principle all over the world, and which certainly open up new possibilities in teaching. The purpose of this paper is to present and to discuss the concept of virtual class-room teaching, how the system operates in practice, its advantages and, finally, how its inherent limitations can be overcome.     

Cyanide attack at low-spin iron(II)–diimine complexes: the structure of a cyanide-containing derivative of a leaving ligand

The isolation and structural characterisation of the product of addition of HCN to the Schiff base derived from phenyl 2-pyridyl ketone and 3,4-dimethylaniline (Me2bsb) provides evidence in favour of a mechanism involving nucleophilic attack at the coordinated ligand for reaction of the complex [Fe(Me₂bsb)₃]²⁺ with cyanide.     

Selective oxidation of octadecan-1-ol to octadecanoic acid over Co3O4/SiO2 catalysts

Factors (reaction temperature, reaction time, flow rate of oxygen, amount of catalyst, etc.) influencing the catalytic properties of Co₃O₄/SiO₂catalyst in the oxidation octadecan-1-ol to octadecanoic acid were investigated. The catalysts were characterized by means of XRD, FT-IR and N₂-adsorption. The experimental results indicate that under the optimal condition the selectivity to octadecanoic acid reached 97.5 % over 5 % Co₃O₄/SiO₂ catalyst.This revised version was published online in December 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Mechanism and Kinetics of Thermal Dissociation of Inclusion Complex of Benzaldehyde with β-Cyclodextrin

The inclusion complex of benzaldehyde (BA) with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was prepared and was studied by thermal analysis and X-ray diffractometry. The composition of the complex was identified by TG and elemental analysis as β-CD·BA·9H₂O. TG and DSC studies showed that the thermal dissociation of β-CD·BA·9H₂O took place in three stages: dehydration in the range 70-120°C; dissociation of β-CD·BA in the range 235-270°C; and decomposition of β-CD above 280°C. The kinetics of dissociation of β-CD·BA in flowing dry nitrogen was studied by means of TG both at constant temperature and at linearly increasing temperature. The results showed that the dissociation of β-CD·BA was dominated by a one-dimensional random nucleation and subsequent growth process (A₂). The activation energy E was 124. 8 kJ mol^-1, and the pre-exponential factor A 5.04·10¹¹ min^-1. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Rank-1 approximation to the van der Waals interaction

We present and discuss a variational single-product approximation to the van der Waals dispersion interaction leading to a simple formula for C ₆ that seems capable to give more than 99% of the ‘exact’ value. The formula is derived from Hylleraas’ variational principle in the tensor product space of the interacting molecules and therefore enjoys bounding properties. The formula has been tested by computing the C ₆ dispersion constants of H–H, and, at Full CI level, of the following systems: He–He, He–Li, Li–Li, LiH–LiH, HF–HF. Connections with the London formula are discussed. Contribution to the Fernando Bernardi Memorial Issue.